Standard Play or Punt? HCL's Newest Star Loses $730K Pot with Small Pair
A new player on Hustler Casino Live went on "one of the sickest runs we've ever seen here," according to a commentator, but he ended up losing it all in the biggest pot of the night.
Jae Cusick was down to his last $23,000 in the $100/$200/$400 game before running up a stack of over $500,000. But that was before he tangled with HCL crusher and poker vlogger Mariano Grandoli.
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The hand kicked off with a raise on the button from Cusick to $3,000 holding 7♦7♣. Jeff the Cash then three-bet to $10,000 in the big blind with K♦9♦ before Grandoli woke up in the straddle with A♦Q♠ and four-bet to $30,000. Cusick called and Jeff the Cash got out of the way.
The flop of Q♥6♣4♣ gave Grandoli the lead with a pair of queens and he bet $20,000. Wanting to know where he was at with his sevens, Cusick raised to $50,000 and Grandoli called.
Grandoli checked on the Q♦ turn and Cusick bet $80,000. Grandoli decided to fast-play his trips and moved all in, putting Cusick to a decision for his remaining $203,600.
"Aces no way, kings no way, ace-queen why not just let me bluff?" Cusick thought aloud during a tank that lasted several minutes.
Cusick eventually called and saw the bad news, offering to run it twice before bricking two rivers and being left with nothing, while Grandoli won the $738,000 pot, good for nearly 3,700 big blinds. Cusick ended the five-hour stream down $144,000.
The HCL lineup on Thursday night also included Nikhil "Nik Airball" Arcot, who made his return to the popular poker show in March after a yearlong ban from the California poker room.
Check out other highlights from the HCL stream on YouTube.
